Shopping bag



N. OTTINGER SHOPPING BAG April 3, 1934.

Filed June 10. 1932 Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to shopping bags, and has for its primary object and purpose to provide a paper bag of this character of strong and durable construction, and which is provided with handle means at one end whereby the bag may be conveniently carried.

It is another important object of the invention to provide such a shopping bag which may be inexpensively produced from a single sheet of paper of requisite weight and thickness, having handle means as an integral feature thereof which, without reinforcement, is capable of resisting severe strains when the bag is filled to capacity and without danger of tearing or separation of such handle means from the body of the bag.

It is also another object of the invention in one of its preferred embodiments to provide such handle means at the top or open end thereof which is of such construction, that it will not in terfere with the easy, quick and complete closure of the open end of the bag.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved shopping bag, and in the form, construction and relative arrangement of the various parts thereof as will be hereinafter. more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In the drawing wherein I have shown several simple and practical embodiments of the invention, and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved shopping bag showing the same closed;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the bag is formed; Y

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a modified construction of the shopping bag;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the blank for the bag shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a portion thereof be ing broken away;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the cut-out blank for another alternative form of the bag; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 5 of the bag formed from the blank shown in Fig. 7.

Referring for the. present more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, from a sheet of paper or other material of suitable weight and thickness, by means of proper dies, the blank shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing is cut. This blank includes the side wall sections 5 and 6 respectively which are adapted to be folded into opposed contacting relation along the line indicated at 7. The section 6 has a free end portion indicated at 8 foldable against the outer face of said section along the line indicated at 9. This fold 8 will thus provide a downwardly opening pocket extending across the outer surface of the section or wall 6 of the bag at its upper end. This section 6 with its'fold 8 is of slightly greater width than the section 5 of the blank to provide the narrow strips 10 along the opposite side edges thereof.

The section 5 of the blank forming the other side wall of the bag is provided at its free end with the closure flap 11 foldable along the line 12, and said flap having a narrow section 13 extending along its free longitudinal edge, and foldable with respect to said flap along the line 14. The

section 5 adjacent the fold line 12 is cut as at 15 to provide the part 16 adapted to be projected from the section 5 and folded along the line 17, thus providing an opening or hand-hole in the section 5. A free longitudinal edge portion 18 of the part 16 is foldable relative to said part along the line 19.

The closure flap 11 has a similar hand-hole 20 cut therein while the section 6 and the foldable part 8 thereof are also each provided with the hand-holes indicated at 21 and 22 respectively.

In folding the blank to form the shopping bag, the pocket-forming portion 8 of the section 6 is first folded against the outer side of said section, thus registering the hand-holes 21. 22 with each other. The side strips 10 on the parts 6 and 8 are then folded inwardly on the inn-er face of the section or wall 6 and are gummed so that when the section 5 of the blank is now folded downwardly upon section 6, the opposite side edges of the section or wall 5 will adhere tightly to the strips 10. It will, however, be understood that if desired, any other preferred fastening or connecting means between the side edges of the walls or sections 5 and 6 may be provided.

Assuming that of course the bag has been filled with various commodities, the upper end thereof may be completely closed and sealed by then folding the closure flap 11 over the pocket forming portion 8 and then folding its edge portion upwardly along the line 14 into said pocket, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The hand-hole 20 is thus brought into registration with the hand-holes 15, 21 and 22. The part 16 is now projected from the rear wall or section 5 of the bag through the registering hand-holes and bent downwardly over their lower edges on the outer side of the closure flap 11, the edge portion 18 of the part 16' being then folded upwardly into the pocket, as also clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. Thus the interior of the bag is completely closed and sealed at the lower edges of the hand-holes, the part 16 also providing a smooth rounded surface, obviating possible chafing or cutting of the fingers by contact with the lower edges of the hand-holes. If desired, the front wall 6 of the bag may also be provided with a part similar to the part 16 in cutting the hand-hole 21 and both of such parts manipulated in the manner above described and locked into the pocket on the upper edge of the wall 6. This provides multiple thicknesses of the material to form a very strong handle at the upper sides of said holes or openings which may be firmly grasped with the fingers. There is thus eliminated the necessity of providing various additional reinforcing pieces, while at the same time the invention may be employed in connection with bags of the largest capacity with the assurance that the carrying handle will not tear or give way under heavy strains. It will also be seen that my construction not only provides a carrying handle as an integral part of the bag structure, but also produces a substantially water and dust-tight closure of the open end of the bag.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6, I have shown another form of the device in which the blank may be formed at one of its ends with a projection cut to provide the carrying handle 23 and a longitudinally projecting wing or tab 24 at the juncture of the ends of the handle with the sheet. This projection is adapted to be folded along the line 25 coinciding with the end edge of the sheet and the end edge portion of said sheet is also outwardly foldable along the line 26. Centrally of this fold line, the slot 2'7 is provided in said sheet. The other side wall section of the sheet is provided with the closure flap 28 as in the construction above described, having the foldable edge portion 29, and along the fold line of said flap the slot 30 is provided to register with the slot 27.

The part 31 formed by cutting out the handle 23 remains integrally connected with the sheet along the fold line 32. In the use of this form of my invention, after the bag has been filled, the handle projection, including the parts 23, 24 and 31, are folded along line 25 at the lower edge of the exterior pocket and extended upwardly through said pocket and through the registering slots 27 and 30. The flap 28 is then folded against the wall of the pocket and the part 29 folded upwardly into said pocket, as shown in Fig. 5, while the part 31 is bent outwardly and downardly from the plane of the handle part 23 and over the intermediate portion of the slot 30, thus substantially sealing said slot against the entrance of water or dirt.

In Figs. 7 and 8, another form of the device is shown in which the handle extension 23' with the part 31' are formed on the edge of the closure flap 28. The parts 5 and 6 are provided with the slots 27 and 30' respectively as in the construction last described, said part 5 at its upper end having the outwardly folded pocket-forming portion. Thus, in this case, after folding the closure flap against the outer side of said pocket-forming portion, the handle parts 23, 31 are then extended upwardly into the pocket and through the slots 27 and 30, the part 31' being folded downwardly against the outer side of the bag wall 5, as clearly shown in Fig. 8. In each of these latter constructions, it will be seen that the handle is formed of only a single thickness of material, and for this reason, the construction first above described is preferred. However, the latter constructions will be serviceable when the bag is made from relatively heavy and strong materials or when employed for moreor less temporary use in carrying relatively light loads.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction and several advantages of my invention as herein described will be clearly understood. It will be seen that I have devised a bag for shopping and like purposes which, while exceedingly simple in its construction and inexpensive to manufacture, will be very serviceable and efficient for the purpose in view. Of course, such bags may be made in various sizes and numerous different shapes other than that illustrated in the drawing. The construction first herein referred to enables the bag even when filled to capacity to be very easily carried without danger of loss of its contents, or discomfort to the hand of the carrier. Such a bag produced from comparatively heavy and strong paper or other flexible material, may be repeatedly used, and owing to the very low manufacturing cost thereof, may be distributed gratis by merchants to their patrons.

I have herein shown and described several desirable and practical embodiments of my present improvements, but it is nevertheless to be understood that the essential features thereof may also be incorporated in various other alternative structural forms, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A shopping bag having opposite side walls, one of said walls being provided with a foldable closure flap and the other of said walls having a downwardly opening exterior pocket extending across said wall at the open end of the bag to receive a relatively foldable edge portion of said closure flap, means coacting with said edge portion to retain the same in said pocket, and said side walls, the wall of said pocket and the closure flap having registering hand-holes therethrough.

2. A shopping bag having opposite side walls, one of said walls being provided with a foldable closure flap and the other of said walls having a downwardly opening exterior pocket extending across said wall at the open end of the bag to receive a relatively foldable-edge portion of said closure flap, Said side walls; the wall of said pocket and the closure flap having registering hand-holes therethrough, and one of said side walls having a part integral therewith foldable over the lower edges of said hand-holes and upon the outer surface of the closure fiap, and said part having an edge portion thereof foldable upwardly into said pocket.

3. A paper bag having opposite side walls, one of said walls being provided with a downwardly opening exterior pocket at the open end of the bag, a closure flap connected with the other side wall and foldable over the open end of the bag upon said pocket, said flap having a part thereof foldable upwardly into said pocket, and a part integral with the latter wall extending through an opening in said first named wall and having a portion thereof insertable upwardly into said pocket to retain the foldable part or said flap therein.

4. A paper bag having opposite side walls, one

of said walls being provided with a downward- 1y opening exterior pocket at the open end of the bag, a closure flap connected with the other side wall and ioldable over the open end of the bag upon said pocket, said flap having a part NATHAN OTTIINGER. 

